MMA Board Chair Takes Part in Medicaid Cuts Discussion

April 17, 2025

MMA Board Chair Kim Tjaden, MD, MPH, took part in a Medicaid panel discussion organized by the Minnesota Department of Human Services on April 4 in St. Cloud. 

Tjaden, a family medicine physician at CentraCare, was joined by Stearns County Commissioner Tarryl Clark, Nick Henderson with Stearns County Behavioral Health Services, and state Medicaid director John Connolly. 

Proposed cuts of $880 billion in Medicaid at the national level could affect the lives of 1.3 million Minnesotans who are on Medicaid, which is known as Medical Assistance in Minnesota.  

“The proposed $880 billion target is not just an abstract figure,” Connolly said. “It represents a direct threat to the health and well-being of countless Minnesotans and the stability of our health care system. These cuts would also deeply impact our healthcare providers, with rural hospitals and long-term care facilities, already facing financial strain, bearing the brunt. Medicaid dollars are a lifeline for these providers, and its erosion would destabilize our entire healthcare infrastructure.” 

Panel discussions have also been held in Duluth, Mankato, Rochester and St. Paul. 

Gov. Tim Walz and U.S. Rep Kelly Morrison, MD, held a similar roundtable discussion in Bloomington on April 15.